About VirusScan / Installation Notes

McAfee's VirusScan Enterprise 8.8i is a commercial anti-virus software product that has been site licensed for distribution to the SF State campus community. The installation and use of this software is restricted to current SF State faculty, staff and students.

Starting with version 8.8i, the university license for McAfee VirusScan also includes an anti-malware detection tool.

VirusScan Enterprise 8.8i has been configured for home use. This configuration may not be appropriate for LAN servers or managed LAN workstations. System administrators should download and read the VirusScan 8.8i Product Guide.

For security reasons you should have the most recent Windows Service Pack installed even though VirusScan Enterprise 8.8i can run under an earlier service pack.

McAfee's retail VirusScan package uses different, usually higher, version numbering than the enterprise package. Only the interface is different, not the ability to protect your computer.

Requirements

ITS Recomended Minimum Requirements

Windows Vista/Windows 7 with the latest service pack and 2GB RAM.

20% free hard disk space

McAfee Minimum Requirements

NOTE: A computer that just meets McAfee's requirements will run with VirusScan installed, but very slowly.

Hardware

A prossessor running at a minimum of 1Ghz (Windows Vista or Windows 7)

1GB RAM (minimum) for systems running Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Minimum 500 MB free disk space for a complete installation of all VirusScan Enterprise features and components

Download

Enter your ID number in the SF State ID: field of the Download Software page that opens

Enter your e-mail password in the SF State Password field

Click on the Login button

Select Yes or No from the "Will this software be installed on a state-owned computer" dropdown

Follow your browser prompts to save the program, vscan88.exe, to your computer in a location you will be able to remember

Exit your Web browser when the download has finished

Installing VirusScan

Log into an administrative account. If you downloaded VirusScan, log into the same administrative account used during the download. Verify you have a working Internet connection.

If you are running any applications save your data and close them

Uninstall any other anti-virus and anti-malware programs that provide real-time protection you may have installed, including earlier versions of VirusScan. Most programs can be removed via Programs and Features in the Control Panel

A VirusScan 8.8i Enterprise Edition window will open specifying the restrictions of the SFSU site license agreement with McAfee. Click OK if you are a current student, faculty, or staff member. Otherwise click Cancel

If you clicked on OK the installation will start automatically. Be patient as you may not see anything for a minute or more, especially on slower computers

If any conflicting product installations (e.g., Windows Defender) are found, you will be prompted to remove them. Follow the prompts to remove these applications

On the McAfee VirusScan Enterprise Setup window click Next to continue to the McAfee Licensing dialog window

Licensing:

If you are installing VirusScan onto your personally owned computer, set the License expiry type to 2 Year Subscription

If you are installing VirusScan onto a computer owned by San Francisco State University change the License expiry type to Perpetual

Read the License Agreement, select I accept the terms in the license agreement, then click OK

In the Ready to install window, click Install. Installation may take several minutes

When installation completes, click Finish

The McAfee Agent Updater will open and install all available updates. When you see Update Finished click Close

Restart your computer

NOTE: ITS highly recommends running an On-Demand Scan in Safe Mode (see Additional Actions) in case your computer is currently infected with a virus

Manually Updating VirusScan 8.8i

VirusScan is set to automatically update at the following times:

When you log in to your account (If you are not prompted to log in when your computer starts then you are automatically being logged into your account)

At approximately 12:30 PM

At approximately 12:30 AM

Computers not connected to the Internet at startup will not be able to complete an automatic update and must be updated manually. These include:

Home computers with a DSL Modem where you run an application to make a PPPOE connection. The application is usually supplied by the company you make the DSL connection through (e.g., WinPOET)

Laptops making an on-campus wireless connection using a Web browser

Internet Update

Your computer must be connected to the Internet prior to starting a manual update.

Log into an administrative account

Save your data and then close any open applications

If you are not already connected to the Internet, connect to the Internet now

Right-click on the VirusScan icon located on the Windows system tray and select Update Now...

VirusScan will check for new virus definitions and a new scan engine. Wait until the status shows Update Finished then click Close. This can take hours if you use a dial-up modem to connect to the Internet. Be patient

You may be asked to reboot your computer. If so, click Yes to reboot your system

Flash Drive/Other Media Update

Insert your Flash drive or other media into a computer with an Internet connection

Click the most recent SDAT name (will end in .exe) to begin the download

Follow the browser's instructions to save the file to the Flash drive/media

Eject the Flash drive/media and insert it in the computer where it will be installed

Open the Flash drive/media and double click on the saved file

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation

Known Issues for Outlook Users

Outlook users changing VirusScan versions may encounter the following error:

The Add-in "Outlook Scan" (C:\Program Files\McAfee\VirusScan Enterprise\Scanotlk.dll) cannot be loaded and has been disabled by Outlook. Please contact the Add-in manufacturer for an update. If no update is available, please uninstall the Add-in.

To resolve this issue do the following:

Close Outlook

Right-click the Windows Start button and select Explore

Copy and paste the following into the address bar at the top of the Explorer window:%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\

Press Enter to open the folder

Delete the file extend.dat from the folder (this file will recreate itself, you will not lose any data)

When your hard disk has been scanned the window will close and you should reboot your system

Troubleshooting

VirusScan has three features that can potentially conflict with other applications:

Access Protection: There are several types of programs used by viruses that can be restricted by VirusScan. The default settings only allows specific mail clients to send mail. This helps stop viruses with built-in mail capabilities from spreading. If you use a very unusual mail client it may be blocked from sending mail. Read the section on Access Protection in the VirusScan Product Guide for instructions on adding your mail client to the list of allowed mail clients.

Buffer Overflow Protection: Buffer overflow attacks use a particular type of programming error in Windows or specific applications (e.g., Internet Explorer). Some software firewalls also provide buffer overflow protection. If both the firewall software and VirusScan are protecting against buffer overflow attacks at the same time they will conflict with each other. If you have a firewall or other application that provides buffer overflow protection then you must disable it in either VirusScan or the other application. The firewall built into Windows XP, Vista, and 7 does not provide buffer overflow protection and will not cause a conflict. If you use any other software firewall you should read its manual carefully to determine if it provides buffer overflow protection or not. Read the Buffer Overflow section in the VirusScan Product Guide for instructions on disabling buffer overflow protection.

Multiple Real-time Scanners: McAfee VirusScan 8.8i is a real-time protection program. Running more than one real-time protection program silmultaniously can cause many problems. However, it is a good idea to install secondary, scan only, malware removal tools. For university owned computers, ITS recommends Spybot Search and Destroy. For personal computers, ITS recommends Malwarebytes. It is illegal to install Malwarebytes on university owned computers without purchasing it.

If you encounter errors installing VirusScan 8.8i, first remove it by using the Add/Remove programs icon in the Control Panel and then reinstall VirusScan 8.8i. If this does not work do the following:

Remove VirusScan using the Add/Remove programs/Programs and Features icon in the Control Panel.

Use Windows Explorer to locate and delete the C:\Program Files\Network Associates folder and the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Network Associates folder.

Reinstall VirusScan 8.8i using the instructions provided in this document.

If you still cannot install VirusScan, contact ITS's Help Desk at 415-338-1420, service@sfsu.edu, or bring your computer to ADM 110 during business hours.